The Ring Saga
The events leading to the destruction of the Black Ring 1110. The Ring Saga may be seen as a chain of adventures starting in 1102, but long before that the Thoth priesthood had set up a list of nine portents, all to be fulfilled if one of the Black Rings could be destroyed without hurling the Anti-Sun into the Sun. The nine portents were: 1. An ancient empire shall crumble from within (fulfilled 1075 when the Pellan Empire turned into the New Sun Lands. 2. In three years three brothers shall succeed each other in an old empire (fulfilled 1097-1099 in the Pandese Empire). 3. But a tower shall remain of a kingdom. (fulfilled 1101 with the siege of Taunenfels). 4. A king of priests shall be crowned (fulfilled 1102 at the instatement of the Pope). 5. A new and yet old kingdom shall arise (fulfilled 1103 at the declaration of the kingdom of Hardnit). 6. Two un-men shall come from no man's land (probably Finduil (ca. 1104) and Hippoleia (1102)). 7. The tiles of the demon shall return to their place of origin (Fane's tiles were replaced June 1st 1105). 8. The Horn of Heimdal shall sound (that happened August 13th 1105). 9. The pages of the Book of Enchantments shall be draped in light and shadow (it could mean the Book was read, though no details are known, the portent must have been fulfilled). The meaning of these portents were not really understood before late 1103, quite some time after the hunt for the "tiles of the demon" had begun. The stories are many, and involves agents of the Pandese Empire, Kartria, the New Sun Lands, the Black Ring, the Sif priesthood and many others. The details are to numerous to be recounted, but let it be said that though Green Dragon LXVI did play a major part, in the end a party numbering Arno, Helena, Hippoleia, Kernla, Kisling, Markus, Mathias, and Tarkin found the tiles. In the meantime, Finduil had appeared from nowhere, and though no one really knew what or who he was, everybody seemed to agree he was crucial to the outcome. Accordingly, Finduil was kidnapped several times, but was recovered every time. With Finduil along, Arno, Helena, Hippoleia, Kernla (he died along the way, but was raised later), Kisling, Legolas, Markus, Mathias, and Tarkin succeeded in finding the Ring of Madness on Kartria. The finding of the Ring of Madness brought about a summit in Enders involving many heads of state to decide what should be done with the Ring. Arno and Mathias took the matter into their own hands and gave the Ring to Baltax. Baltax used the Ring to effectively bring an end to the New Sun Lands Crusade but also caused the temporary destruction of the Ring (and himself). The Ring of Madness was crushed and by all accounts this should have begun the dying of the Sun, at least no omens had told of the last portent being fulfilled. But Heimdal intervened and sacrificed Himself to gain time and postpone the consequences of the Ring's destruction. As far as this can be understood by mortals, sages believe that Heimdal's divine being took hold of the fragments of the former Ring, keeping it together but at the same time depriving Him of any contact with His followers, a cause of great consternation of his priests, whose spell powers were not renewed. At this time despair ruled, especially since the omens had shown that the Black Ring, not the Ring of Madness, should have been destroyed. Slowly an unlikely plan began to emerge. Somebody should steal the Black Ring, presumably resting on the hand of Ogonjok in the Tower of the Dead, and bring it close to the remains of the Ring of Madness. If that could be accomplished, though none knew the whereabouts of the fragments of the Ring, then Finduil in some mysterious way could replace the two, destroying the Black Ring and repairing the Ring of Madness. The first part of the plan, the stealing of the Black Ring, was performed by Helena, Hippoleia and Tarkin assisted by Mathias and Skanderbeg. Hippoleia died after killing Ogonjok. She could not be raised, but the Ring was procured. Still the Rings was to be brought together, and it was discovered that the fragments of the Ring of Madness were hidden in a shadowy pocket dimension, Nightlands, only accessible through the Temple of Darkness. Several expeditions were needed to find the fragments, but early 1110 Artagel, Artemisia, Deckert, Finduil, Gaar, Hardaukar, Helena, Kernla, Krohm, Lastard, Pandarr, Rogazar, Silandis, Skanderbeg, Tarkin and Yondemar entered the Temple of Darkness for the last time. The details are not known, but it is told that Finduil, Gaar, Lastard, Tarkin and Yondemar faced the drow Azemilk in the final battle. Azemilk, a formidable warrior, attacked Finduil, but with the assistance of the others, Finduil defeated him and completed the mission, as the "king" Azemilk carried the fragments of the Ring of Madness. Somehow the group made it back to the besieged Kangrisorn. But the happy conclusion to the Ring Saga turned out to be the beginning of the end to the Troll Wars, and the siege of Kangrisorn was soon lifted.